HOW TO SHOW KINDNESS TO PEOPLE LIVING ON THE STREET THIS WINTER

28 Jun 2018

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CCID Show you care winter drive City Views

As winter takes hold, spare a thought for the Cape Town Central City’s streetpeople population by showing acts of kindness. In the four-page supplement called the Tough Times, in the CCID’s quarterly newspaper, City Views, we share various simple ways in which you can show you care this winter.

Says Pat Eddy, manager of CCID Social Development: “When looking at the difficulties facing homeless people especially in winter, it’s easy for members of the public to get overwhelmed and to perhaps believe that one needs lots of money to make a difference. However, it’s true that there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness – every act creates a ripple effect. And there are things that each one of us can do to assist or to make a difference and some of them don’t even cost money.”

Pat outlines some of the ways to show kindness to people living on the street this winter:

MAKING DONATIONS

The CCID welcomes donations including monetary contributions, clothing, food and toiletries. These are then distributed to the various NGOs that the CCID works with. There are four ways you can donate to the CCID’s partner NGOs.

SMS “GIVE” to 38088 to donate R10*.

Download the free SnapScan app onto your smartphone and scan the code to the right to donate the amount of your choice**.

Make an EFT payment to the Show You Care GIVE RESPONSIBLY campaign. You can find bank details at www.showyoucare.co.za.

Or, you can make a donation directly to the NGO of your choice. All items in good condition are appreciated.

“And,” says Pat, “while we encourage donations to be made towards our partners, this shouldn’t stop individuals from showing they care within their own communities or lending a hand directly to organisations that assist those in need. The most important thing is to show you care and this forms the basis of everything the CCID’s social development team does.”

All monetary donations the CCID receives are split equally among six of its partner NGOs. The CCID takes no admin fee.

*Our partner NGOs receive an average of R8 depending on your cellphone service provider.

One of the ways to assist is to volunteer your time. This goes a long way as NGOs supporting people living on the street generally have limited resources and are always in need of a helping hand. In the Central City, there are various organisations that serve meals to the homeless and need volunteers. They include:

Ladles of Love which provides meals on Tuesdays at 17h30 in St Georges Mall, Thursdays at 17h30 at the Haven Shelter in Napier Street in Greenpoint and on Saturdays at 12h00 outside.

“It’s important that we treat others as we wish to be treated and this applies to our homeless population who sometimes aren’t treated with respect and dignity. A simple hello goes a long way in acknowledging someone’s humanity,” says Pat. She adds that it’s encouraging that there are organisations such as Souper Troopers is the CBD providing specific events and services that bring homeless people dignity and a sense of belonging.